Susan S. - Ontario middle school teacher, dog trainer, and featured contributor over at Classroom Displays and Bulletin Board Ideas - designed this fun bulletin board and first week of school activity to help her get to know her new students a little better as well as encourage her class to start out on a positive note.

Biographies & 'Pedigrees'

After a discussion of what it means to be the "pick" of a litter from the perspective of a dog person, students are shown that there is no "best", simply different. This same lesson can be applied to families, the classroom, and other groups. While each person's unique set of abilities, characteristics, values, and attitudes set them apart from the rest of their family members, class, etc. there is no "ideal" combination that makes one person more valuable than another. Each person is a real "pick" because of their unique makeup!

In keeping with this theme, Susan invites her students to list several of the characteristics that make them a "pick" of the litter...

• Best sense of humor
• Best person to call when the computer is broken
• Best cake baker

She has them create biography 'posters' - adding the text list to a photo of themselves - and frames each poster with a dog bone frame. As an extension, and a fun social studies exercise, she also has her new students complete a pedigree (or family tree)!

[NOTE: As the computer generated design above shows, for younger students, you might consider simply printing student names onto dog bone cutouts and arranging them around the bulletin board.]

The Pick of the Litter!

• Background: Light blue bulletin board paper.
• Title: "The Pick of the Litter!", "Best in Show!", etc.
• Border: Animal themed trimmer.
• Decoration: 1) The Dog House. Find a clip art image online using your classroom projector system to enlarge and trace the shape onto red and brown bulletin board paper. [NOTE: Trace the entire image onto red first, then add the brown roof.] Trace the edge lines and add detailing using a black permanent marker. Add additional details if desired - i.e. a patch of grass created from scraps of green bulletin board paper, a dog bowl cut from purple construction paper, etc. 2) The Dog Bones. Either print student names onto purchased or created dog bone cutouts or use their framed photo biographies and pedigree projects! Additionally, if you have space, you might consider adding some fun/colorful dog accents!